1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lane keep control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 11-96497 published on Apr. 9, 1999 exemplifies a first previously proposed lane keep control apparatus for an automotive vehicle. In the first previously proposed lane keep control apparatus disclosed in the above-identified Japanese Patent Application First Publication, a steering torque is controlled to develop a yaw moment in a direction returning to a center position of a traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling in accordance with a deviation quantity of a lateral displacement of the vehicle with respect to a center line of the traffic lane so as to prevent the vehicle from traveling under a deviation (a divergence) from the traffic lane (keep the vehicle in travel on the traffic lane).
In addition, a Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. 2000-33860 published on Mar. 20, 2003 exemplifies a second previously proposed lane keep control apparatus in which, when the vehicle is about to be deviated from the traffic lane on which the vehicle is to travel, the braking force acted upon each driven wheel is controlled to develop a yaw moment in the direction returning to the center line of the traffic lane on which the vehicle is traveling in accordance with the deviation quantity of the lateral displacement of the vehicle with respect to the center line of the traffic lane so as to prevent the vehicle from traveling with the deviation of the traffic lane (keep the vehicle travel within the same traffic lane).